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2 clusters · 4 sources · 9 days · First seen · Last updated

UK maternity care safety and systemic challenges

Overview

The United Kingdom is addressing systemic challenges in maternity care, characterized by high maternal mortality rates and insufficient staffing. Reports from MBRRACE-UK have linked these safety issues to workforce capacity and deteriorating infrastructure. In response, the UK government has proposed establishing England’s first statutory maternity commissioner to investigate why necessary improvements are not being implemented within NHS trusts.

In Wales, the government has introduced the ‘Call for Concern’ scheme to improve patient safety. Inspired by similar models in Australia and England, this initiative provides maternity and neonatal patients with a direct pathway to escalate urgent health concerns if they feel their worries are not being adequately addressed by medical staff. Various Welsh health boards, including Swansea Bay and Cardiff and Vale, have begun integrating these escalation pathways and documentation updates into their services.

Entities

Royal College of Midwives · Delyth Jewell · NHS Wales · Yvette Cooper · Senedd

Timeline

  1. 8 days ago

    [HEALTH] 2 sources
    Wales rolls out NHS ‘Call for Concern’ maternity safety scheme

    Wales is introducing the ‘Call for Concern’ scheme, allowing maternity and neonatal patients to escalate urgent health worries directly to medical staff for further clinical review.

  2. 17 days ago

    [HEALTH] 2 sources
    Maternity care crisis in UK linked to staffing and infrastructure

    A report by MBRRACE-UK links high maternal death rates to staffing shortages, while the UK government moves to establish a statutory maternity commissioner to address systemic NHS maternity crises.

Sources

rcm.org.uk · spectator.com.au · tivysideadvertiser.co.uk · wrexham.com